The heron and the fish

No. 10 on the route

When the sun shows itself at the Little Felt,

a heron slowly perches on the shore.

This spot on the lake is highly sought after by him

and sir is a real gourmet.

Good and well, he stands stiff as frozen on guard,

Comes a fish, not so big, not so wide.

'Tis a stickleback that, so very early, had thought

escape from des reigers' diet.

With one leg on the ground and the other stretched out

the heron pretends not to see the little fish.

With my beautiful beak, I am very chicly beaked,

thinks the heron, such a miniature fish does not fit me.

All day the heron stands guard on the shore

Any fish that passes is too little.

Either too small or too salty, or the scales suspect

Or too gratuitous and drab the fin.

As the sun disappears again, sounds echo across the pond:

'tis the heron's stomach that rumbles.

The heron who was too fussy for so long,

And now cramming a snail inside.

Also a deft heron, also a bird so pedantic

Should not be too finicky in hunting.

Soon he is standing by for hours for nothing,

must ask for a handout at the end.

© 2021 Geurt Franzen

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